Four Minnesota Residents Charged in Social Security Fraud Scheme

Four Twin Cities residents -- including a Social Security Administration employee in St. Paul -- have been indicted in a scheme that generated real Social Security cards with fake identities.

The conspiracy's start date was unknown, but it went back to at least May 2001 and ended in 2010, the indictment claimed.

Dianne Josephine Chess, 49, of St. Paul, was a service representative for the SSA whose responsibilities included inputting data provided by applicants seeking a number and a card.

The indictment from a federal grand jury charges her and three co-conspirators -- Larhea Lynn Nakao, 33, of Minneapolis; Angela Grace Hinkle, 49, of Minneapolis and Victor Ray Holloway, 52, of Richfield.

Holloway asked Chess to help him obtain Social Security cards and numbers for himself and the co-conspirators, the indictment alleges. Chess allegedly entered false information in the administration's computerized system for applicants including their identity, place of birth, citizenship status and whether the applicant ever had applied for or received a card before.

Holloway also is charged with theft of public money for receiving $77,318 in disability benefits he wasn't entitled to -- a fraud that allegedly ran from 2002 until last month. Nakao also is charged with theft of public money for receiving Section 8 housing payments totaling $16,332.

The indictment was filed Wednesday, Nov. 14. The 11 total counts in the indictment against the various defendants include conspiracy to commit fraud, use of a false Social Security number and false statements.

State court records show that Nakao was convicted of a drive-by shooting in 1997 and also has prior theft and drug convictions. Hinkle has prior convictions from 2003 that involved fraudulent financial card transactions. Holloway's record of prior convictions dates to 1979 and includes forgery, assault and robbery.